


The Cake Is A Lie

by juicytree21



Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Guns, M/M, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:40:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24050731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juicytree21/pseuds/juicytree21
Summary: Zoey, Bill, Francis, Louis, Rochelle, Ellis, Coach, and Nick are all trying to survive. After the eight meet in Rayford, Georgia, they decide there is safety in numbers. Questions begin to arise among them though. How did this all start? Why haven't they met any other survivors? Where is the military? What is calling them to Texas? And why can none of them remember anything from the night before the apocalypse began?
Relationships: Ellis/Nick (Left 4 Dead), Francis/Rochelle (Left 4 Dead)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

"Burgers and fries! Burgers and fries!" Xixi chanted as they approached the diner. Zoey rolled her eyes but smiled at her friends antics. She opened the door and a waiter was standing there already with a customer service grin on his face and exhaustion in his eyes.

"Hello ladies! Just you two?" Zoey nodded and he snatched up two menus and led them to a booth by the window. "Here you go! I'll be back for your drink orders in just a moment." He disappeared into the kitchen and Xixi craned her neck to check out his butt.

"Xixi!" Zoey hissed. Her friend looked at her in surprise.

"I'm just seeing what he's working with." 

The waiter came back for their drink orders and, a few minutes later, their food orders. As they sipped on their sodas, Xixi made a face and looked past Zoey at whoever had walked in. 

"Someone had a rough night." Zoey looked over her shoulder and grimaced. The man's skin had an almost green pallor and he had dark bags under his eyes. 

He shuffled up to the host stand and leaned against it, coughing a bit and rubbing his eyes. The waiter who'd served them came over to the man and grabbed a single menu and looked at him with concern. He led him to a booth a little bit away from theirs and handed him the menu.

"Water." The man croaked out before burying his face in his hands. The waiter nodded and disappeared behind the counter to fill the glass with ice and water, still giving the man concerned glances. 

The man stood suddenly and leaned out to face the floor and began throwing up violently. It was obsidian black and gelatinous when it hit the ground and Xixi turned her nose up and grimaced.

“Ew! Is someone going to help him?” Their waiter rushed over, putting his hands on the man's back. 

"Sir, are you ok?"

Xixi grabbed her soda and continued talking to her but Zoey was watching the man. His face was turning pale gray and he was making an inhuman grunting noise. She stood from the table and put her hand on her pocket where her BlackBerry resided. 

Xixi looked up at her confused before turning to look at the man. The waiter was kneeling by his table trying to talk to him. The man launched himself from his seat and tackled the waiter, dragging his now long claws across his chest.

“Oh my God!” Xixi screamed, jumping up to stand behind Zoey. “I'm calling 911!” 

Before Xixi could dial, her sharp ringtone rang out through the empty restaurant. The man looked up at her and Zoey felt her blood chill. 

His eyes were glowing yellow and he had boils covering his face. His teeth were sharp and his nails had elongated into bear-like claws. A loud scream escaped him and Xixi pulled out her phone.

She ended the call but it was too late. The man was focused on her. He began crawling towards the two young women and they turned to run. They were almost to the door when Zoey saw a flash of black and Xixi was pinned to the ground.

He tore into her back and her screams of pain quickly turned to gurgles as her lungs filled with blood. Zoey backed up against the wall and felt her heart beating harder than ever. 

The beast backed away from Xixi’s still body and growled. He turned away and began prowling the restaurant, ignoring Zoey. She fell to her friend's side and touched her arm gently.

“Xixi.” She whispered, through tears. 

Xixi shifted and Zoey backed away from her. Her body twitched and her skin went gray, veins bulging all over her body. Her skin slowly turned from gray to white and her eyes began to glow. A bright, stoplight red. 

She started crying and sat up slowly. She began tearing at her clothing and her nails fell off her hands, her fingers turning into razor sharp claws. Her crying turned to wailing and Zoey carefully stepped around her, not risking an attack. 

As she ran out the front door of the restaurant, she froze. People were attacking others in the streets, cars were crashing into each other, and plumes of smoke could be seen in the distance. A woman sprinted past her with her arms torn up and that same green color beginning to set into her skin.

She ran towards her car and quickly pulled the door open. She threw herself into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut behind her, the same moment a woman with black vomit all down her chin and neck slammed into the window. The woman growled and slammed her fists against the glass, growling and gnashing her teeth. Zoey jammed the key into the ignition and quickly shifted into drive and peeled off down the street.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill leaned against the balcony and placed a cigarette between his lips. The distant sound of sirens could be heard as plumes of smoke rose into the sky. He sighed and stepped back into his apartment, sliding the door closed behind him. A helicopter flew overhead suddenly but he ignored it and continued to his room. The closet door was open slightly and he flicked the lightswitch on. 

His uniform was hanging in a garment bag on the door and he pulled it off gingerly. The patch over the left breast showed his last name in weathered, slightly faded black letters. He pulled it off the hook and laid it on his bed, kicking off his house slippers as he did. 

He dressed quickly and tucked his pants into his boots. His cigarette burned down and he flicked the butt into the glass of water next to his bed. He hadn't worn the uniform in nearly 40 years. Wearing it again felt almost alien yet still so familiar. 

Somewhere outside a loud roar rang out and he turned his head towards the window. The pop of gunfire and screams sounded from outside his front door and he grimaced, leaning down to pull the leather chest out from under his bed. He opened the combination lock and looked down at his M16, deagle, and the ammo he’d stored alongside the guns. He pulled out the guns and loaded them, making sure the safety was on before slinging the M16 over his shoulder and holstering the pistol. He stuffed his pockets with all the ammo he could carry and grabbed his pack of smokes off his dresser and shoving them in his breast pocket alongside his lighter. 

He headed out to his living room and pulled the door open, firing at the woman who immediately charged at him with her jaw slack. Green spit oozed out of her slack jaw and sizzled as it hit the carpet. After a shot to the face, she finally went down with a thud and he grunted.

“This is going to be a ball.” He said sarcastically.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Francis leaned against the cool concrete wall and sighed. The small jail was almost empty save for him and the drunken homeless man they’d brought in a few hours before him. His jaw was still sore from where his ex-girlfriend had socked him the night before. She was the reason he was here, that fucking bitch. She’d tried to beat the crap out of him over something stupid and when he tried to defend himself, she called the cops on him for domestic abuse. He’d never hit her. His mother had raised him better than to raise a hand to someone he cared about. 

The guard across the room had his feet up on his desk and his head leaning against the wall behind his head. He was snoring loudly while some game played on the radio. The man next to across from him was breathing heavily and coughing occasionally which was making it difficult for him to sleep. He rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at the guy. 

He stood facing the corner with his forehead against the wall. His raspy breathing was growing rougher and his coughing more frequent. He slowly lifted his hand to scratch at his neck and groaned. He pulled his hand back to drop a chunk of thick, gray skin on the ground and Francis stared at him with his jaw dropped.

“Hey, I think something is wrong with this guy.” He called out to the cop. The officer stirred and sat forward to glare at Francis.

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” 

“He’s pulling his skin off!” He said, pointing to the man. The officer noticed the worried look on his face and stood. He walked over to the man’s cell and his face mirrored the same expression Francis had made moments before.

“What the hell are you doing?” The man breathed in another raspy breath and pulled off another chunk of skin. He turned to look at the officer and coughed, smoke coming out of his mouth. Massive boils were on his neck and black pus was oozing out of them. The officer grabbed his radio off his shoulder and pressed the talk button but was cut off by a long tongue shooting out the man's mouth and wrapping around his throat. Francis was stunned for a moment before hiding behind the short concrete wall that hid the toilet. 

There were crunching and wet noises and he didn’t dare himself to poke his head over the wall and suffer the same fate. A loud horn honked outside and moments later, a semi truck crashed through the wall of his cell, barely missing him. The city street outside was filled with abandoned cars and people running in terror from something that made the ground shake. He looked up at the cab of the truck which was empty and climbed up inside, climbing over the drivers side and out the passenger door which was still mostly outside. He jumped out and picked up a piece of rebar off the ground that had fallen off the back. 

He rolled it in his hands for a moment before looking around and taking off down the road.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Louis took a sip of his tea and looked out the window at the city below. An ambulance rushed by and he frowned. Multiple emergency response vehicles had passed the building that morning and it worried him. He’d heard about some attacks the night before on the news but he’d brushed them off. Maybe they were worse than news was making it seem.

“You look nervous.” He looked away from the window at Lily, the officer manager, who was refilling her mug with coffee. 

“Just thinking about all the sirens today. They’re all headed in the direction of my part of town.” She waved his anxiety off.

“Just those protestors or whatever from last night. Nothing to worry about.” He nodded and walked back to his desk. He had a pile of paperwork he hadn’t finished the night before and he planned on getting it done before five. He cracked his knuckles and booted up his desktop. 

He worked for a few hours on the Kelly account, his mind on autopilot. There was a scream from the floor below and everyone in the office froze. A few people stood up and he leaned away from his desk to look around. Lily stood from her desk and put her hands up.

“Everyone sit down. I’ll go check on the sixth floor.” Everyone sat back down, shooting glances down the hall towards the elevator. She disappeared onboard and the doors closed. Louis hesitated before going back to his work. 

There was silence for a few minutes before the elevator dinged and Lily came running out, covered in black blood and deep scratches down her chest. She rushed at the first person she saw and tackled him to the ground, biting at his face and neck. A few people screamed and ran away but she quickly climbed off him and tackled someone else. The man she’d bitten sat up a few seconds later and twitched, his skin gray and his eyes glowing. He rushed at the group of employees who were all running towards the staircase.

Louis backed away from his desk and ran towards the break room and closed the door behind him. Lily slammed up against the glass a moment later and snarled at him, smearing fresh red blood and black goo all over it. He stumbled backwards and the corner of something dug into his back. He turned around to see the fire axe enclosed inside a red, metal box. He broke the glass and pulled the axe out, brandishing it nervously. A few more of his coworkers appeared next to Lily and began slamming against the glass, clawing desperately at him.

The groan of cracking wood filled the room and the door exploded into splinters. The crowd rushed at him and he swung the axe at them. He made short work of his attackers and wiped the blood off his face. He stumbled out of the room and raced to the elevator, pushing the down button and rushed into it the second the doors were wide enough. He slammed the door close button as a crowd of his gray skinned co-workers ran towards him. He pressed the button for the lobby and leaned against the back wall, his hands shaking. The axe fell to the ground and he buried his face in his hands. The doors opened after a minute and he groaned. The lobby was filled with more people oozing black blood and he picked the axe up off the ground and sighed before rushing out, making a break for the doors.


	2. Chapter 2

Rochelle looked down at her clipboard and checked off a box. Her headset crackled for a moment but when nobody spoke, she rolled her eyes and went back to checking the set. Being a producer was a thrilling job that she loved but now she had her moment to shine as a journalist. After both Cincinnati field reporters came down with the Green Flu, the studio asked her to fill in. Six years studying at Northwestern University were about to pay off in a major way.

She was bummed that she had to do everything herself though. They’d flown her down to Savannah with a small crew but they’d all gotten sick shortly after their arrival. She was lucky enough to not have caught the bug but now she was facing the daunting task of doing the jobs of four people. 

“Thanks, Ann. I’m here in Savannah, Georgia and despite the sunny weather, things are looking bleak.” She mumbled her script to herself as she set up the prompter. She patted down her blazer and stepped in front of the camera she’d set up and adjusted her hair in the wall mirror behind it. She looked around at the place they’d for her to report in and frowned. It was a small ballet studio in the heart of Savannah that had been closed for a few weeks since the beginning of the outbreak. 

Sudden gunfire erupted from outside and she stumbled, tripping over the cords on the ground and landing on her ass. She cried out in pain and pulled herself up, rubbing her backside and moaning. 

“Oh shit. That’s gonna bruise.” She limped over to the door and peeked out. People in trucks were driving down the street, racing away from a horde of people covered in blood. They were firing at the crowd wildly and she ducked as stray bullets struck the studio. Her phone began ringing and she answered it quickly, army crawling across the floor to duck under the table in the room. 

“Hello?” She answered, her voice wavering.

“Rochelle! Are you alright? We’re getting some nasty reports about it breaking bad there.” Her manager asked. She laughed dryly.

“Understatement. There are people shooting at each other in the streets.” 

“Those aren’t people anymore. They’re zombies. People are dying and coming back.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding!” There was a thud against the door and a man burst into the room, a rifle in his arms. She screamed and dropped her phone, the screen shattering. He startled at her sudden shout but put his hands up and shook his head. 

“It’s ok! I won’t hurt yew! I saw that big ol’ van outside and wanted to make sure there weren’t nobody inside.” She crawled out from under the table and he rushed over to help her up. 

“Thank you.” She said softly before flinching at the sound of more gunfire. “Name’s Rochelle. You?” He grinned and held out his hand. 

“Ellis. Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”

“Ellis? What’d you say we get the hell out of here.” He nodded and she ripped her blazer off, revealing her pink Depeche Mode shirt underneath. The two of them walked outside and he led her over to a large black truck that appeared to have been armored pretty quickly. He ran over the drivers side and gestured for her to climb into the passenger side. 

She was wary of climbing into a strangers car but he seemed so well-meaning she couldn’t stop herself from getting in. He put the rifle between the seat and threw the truck into drive and peeled off down the street.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ellis threw another sour gummy in his mouth and watched Keith finish the tire rotation he’d been doing. The shop was empty save for the two of them. The rest of their employees had come down with whatever flu had infected half of Georgia. The side door opened and his mother entered with a basket in her hands and a smile on her face.

“Yew boys hungry?” 

“Aw, yew didn’t have to do all this.” Ellis said, leaning down to kiss his mother's cheek. She waved him off with a stern look on her face.

“I’ve gotta fortify yew two, what with this flu getting ev’ryone sick.” 

“My uncle called me last night and told me to get outta Georgia. Says it’s worse than the news is saying it is.” Keith piped up, taking the basket from her and putting on the table in the office.

“Well they’ve set up an evacuation center ‘cross town. Molly and her family left this morning.” 

“Yew reckon we should leave?” He asked his mom. She shook her head and laughed.

“It’s just the flu. Nothing some soup and medicine can’t cure.” Keith nodded in agreement but Ellis was less quick to agree with them. He’d seen what folks were saying online and it didn’t seem like a normal flu. He’d even heard rumors of folks dying and getting back up. 

The ground shook suddenly and all three of them froze. Ellis pulled his rifle off the office wall and pulled the bullets out of the locked drawer in his desk. He loaded it quickly while his mother gave him a worried look. He stepped out of the side door and walked towards the street. There was a loud animalistic roar from the end of the street and a hulking, dark pink skinned creature began barrelling towards him. He lifted his gun and began firing as it charged closer. He fired as fast as he could and ran backwards. It was only a few feet away when his bullets finally took it down. He panted and put a hand over his racing heart.

“What the fuck was that?!” He heard Keith cry out. He looked up to see his best friend standing a few feet away with his own smoking handgun. 

“I don’t think this is just the flu, Keith.” 

Minutes later, the three of them were piled inside his truck and driving towards the evac center downtown. There was a large crowd of people already surrounding the building where it was and three of them climbed out and got into the line. CEDA officials were checking people’s temperatures and swabbing the inside of their mouths. They got to their party and checked them quickly before moving down the line. They were waving people forward onto the school buses they had. 

“El…” Keith sounded alarmed and he turned to see CEDA officials taking people out of the line and into the building they occupied. 

“They’re probably just sick. Makes sense to separate ‘em.” He rationalized. There was the sudden pop of gunfire and people in the crowd jumped. The CEDA members looked up and past them. 

The ground shook with the force of the massive horde of people approaching. They looked sickly and Ellis quickly began believing the zombie rumors he’d been hearing. He pushed his mother behind him and looked at Keith worried. 

“Everybody move!” Someone shouted. The crowd began running towards the buses as the horde continued swarming forward.

They made it up to the buses and quickly climbed aboard but the driver held out his hand out as Ellis tried to get on.

“No more room. You have to wait for the next set of buses.” 

“He’ll die out there!” Keith shouted, standing from his seat at the front. Ellis smiled weakly at his friend. 

“Take care of my ma, Keith.” He jumped off the bus and the doors closed despite his mother’s screams of protest. The bus hissed and pulled forward quickly as his mother pounded her hands against the window, screaming for her son.   
He looked back towards the horde and smiled, pulling his rifle off his back and firing into the mass of bodies.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coach sat at his desk in his classroom. He was grading essays and drinking a can of RC cola from the vending machine down the hall. School had been closed for the past few days due to the flu that was ravaging the east coast but it wasn’t stopping him from getting work done. He had to finish grading papers, inflating the basketballs for the upcoming season, and deflating the footballs and storing them until the next year. 

He yawned and took another drink of his soda. The last drops of liquid sloshed out and he sighed. He tossed the can into the trash can under his desk and headed out of his classroom. The vending machine beckoned him over with its blue and red design and he pulled his wallet out. As he pulled out two dollars so that he could get two cans, there was a crash from the gymnasium across the hall. He stepped away from the machine and headed towards the gym. He looked through the glass in the door and frowned. The door that led to the field outside was slamming against the wall from the wind outside. 

He stepped into the gym and jogged over to the door and closed it. As he locked it, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Wandering across the field was what appeared to be a morbidly obese woman in shorts and a crop top. It was an unusual sight for him but what made it even stranger was her mottled, green skin that was covered in huge cysts and boils. She stumbled a bit and he opened the door to call out to her.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” She made a strange burping noise and began waddling towards him, continuing to make gurgling noises. He backed away and pulled the door closed as she braced herself and projectile vomited all over the closed door. He grimaced and locked the door as she waddled away. “What the…?” 

Someone came running up and slammed against the door, slashing at the door and growling. He was joined moments later by more people who were growling and running their hands through the puke. He gagged and rushed back to his classroom. He pulled out the small radio he kept under his desk and turned it on. He switched through station after station and got nothing but dead air. He turned it off and opened his drawer to grab his Nokia, shoving it in his pocket along with his car keys.

He rushed out the front doors to his car as the puking, fat woman rushed towards him. He dove into his car and locked the door as she pressed her stomach up against the hood. She puked again and he turned on the windshield wipers in the hopes of washing it away. He pulled out of his parking space and took off down the road as a swarm of people began chasing his car.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick looked at the cards in his hand and smiled. His hand was pretty good but with a good enough bluff, he knew he’d win everything. The other three men at the table looked at their own cards and attempted to bluff each other but he’d picked up on their tells fairly quickly. Paul tensed his shoulders, Larson licked his lips, Craig shifted in his seat awkwardly. He smiled slightly and laid his cards face down. 

“Well, I’m all in.” He pushed his cash to the center of the table and shot them all a grin.

“I’m out.” Larson threw down his cards and Nick chuckled.

“What about you two?” Paul bit his lip and shook his head.

“Me too.” 

“I’m not losing to this asshole again.” Craig put his money in and glared at Nick who stared at him, completely unbothered. “Three of a kind.” He laid his cards out and Paul and Larson looked at Nick who picked up a cheese cube from the charcuterie board and smiled.

“Flush.” He showed his cards and Larson laughed. Craig pounded his fist on the table as Nick pulled the chips over.

“Again.” Craig demanded. Nick raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“I’d love to play again, gentlemen but I’ve got places to be.” He stuffed the cash into his pockets as Craig pouted and Larson teased him over his failure. 

The boat rocked suddenly in the water and he looked at the floor. He shoved the last bill in his pocket as the boat rocked again, shocking the other three men into standing. The door leading to the deck suddenly tore open and one of the crew burst in. At least, that’s what Nick thought he was. His skin had turned into a hard, cracked brown and one of his arms was enormous while the other dangled at his side. He rushed Paul and wrapped his arm around him, slamming him into the ground. Nick pulled his magnum out of his thigh holster and fired at him. He went down eventually but it was too late for Paul. 

“Jesus fucking Christ! What the he-!?” Craig was cut off as another crew member rushed in, his body in the same state as his fallen coworker. He slammed Larson out of the way as he grabbed Craig and began attacking him. A small creature jumped into the room shrieking with laughter and jumped on Larson and jerked his neck so violently he immediately went limp.

It jumped off his broken body and headed for Nick but he pushed it away as it jumped and he filled it with bullets. It groaned and fell over dead. He aimed his gun at the one attacking Craig but Craig was clearly dead. He snuck over to the door leading to the deck and he rushed out. The deck was flooded with sick looking mutants who all turned their attention to Nick. He froze for a moment before rushing towards the pier they were docked at and rushed onto land. He sprinted away from the boat as the creatures chased him, snarling and growling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a month

Rochelle leaned against the door and watched Ellis kneel down to tie his boots, humming some song she didn’t recognize. He stood and removed his cap to fix his fluffy hair, shaking it out. He noticed Rochelle watching and shot her a grin.

He was only a few years younger than her, she had learned, but he had a childlike innocence about him. They’d been travelling together for a few days and she was sure she had never seen him without a smile on his face. She wasn’t sure how he was keeping it up when she hadn’t smiled since he’d rescued her. 

“So what exactly is our plan, sweetie?” He looked confused for a moment before shrugging. 

“Uh...I hadn’t actually planned that far ahead. I was hoping yew had an idea.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“I think our first step is getting some sleep. That’s what these cots are for.” She motioned to the beds at the back of the safe room. He nodded in agreement and laid his gun down.

“That sounds like a good idea. Yew think we oughta lock the door?” She looked over at the exit and frowned. The two of them had cleared out the infected in the area but there were always more showing up. They hadn’t managed to open any doors yet and the solid steel doors of the safe rooms seemed to be impervious to their attacks. But the next person who walked through that door might not be as well-meaning as her and Ellis.

“I think we should lock it but sleep near the door in case somebody needs to be let in.” She turned away and muttered to herself. “Not that anyone will even show up.” 

Despite the size of Savannah, neither of them had seen anybody else after their escape from downtown. It was like everybody had disappeared. It was safer in a way, not having to deal with marauders and crazy people but two people could only get so far with a rifle, limited ammo, and a machete.

Ellis interrupted her thoughts as he dragged the metal cots across the concrete floor and set them near the door. He set to work unrolling two of the bed rolls that were piled up on a table and fluffing up the small pillow inside. He flopped down on the cot afterwards and kicked off his shoes and pulled his hat over his eyes. 

“G’night, Ro.” She patted the top of his head as she walked past him to her own bed. 

She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep when she was awoken to loud pounding on the door. Ellis stirred and sat up, his hat still over his face. She tore off her blanket and ran over to the door to peer out the small glass window. It was still pitch black outside but the otherwise silent night was being broken by the loud noise. She spotted movement and a man came into view.  
“Open the goddamn door!” He shouted, lifting his magnum and firing at an approaching horde. She froze and looked to Ellis for his input but he was already pushing past her to unbar the door and open it.

“Get in!” The man walked backwards into the room, continuing to fire at the zombies. Once he was safely inside, Ellis slammed the door shut and put the bar back in place. The infected beat against the door for a moment but lost interest quickly.

“Are you ok?” Rochelle asked, not moving from her place next to Ellis. He was panting but he gave her a thumbs up and holstered his gun. He stood and stretched his shoulders, groaning when something cracked.

“What took you so long to open the door?” 

“We were asleep. It took me a second to get my bearings.” He scoffed and looked at the two of them. His piercing blue eyes seemed to be looking directly into her soul and she shuddered. His gaze shifted from her to Ellis and he seemed to drop his tough guy act for just a second before his face hardened again.

“Names’s Nick.” Ellis smiled and held out a hand.

“M’names Ellis! Pleasure to meet yew!” Nick smiled a bit and shook his hand. He nodded towards Rochelle and she cleared her throat.

“Rochelle.” 

“Well, I hope you two have some food and water because I haven’t had any in days and I’m running on empty.” Ellis nodded and walked over to his bag that was laying by the other door. He pulled out a cup of applesauce and a protein bar along with a water bottle. He offered them to Nick who hungrily ripped open the applesauce and gulped it down. The two of them watched in horror and surprise as he scarfed down the protein bar in one bite.

"Where'd you come from anyways? We've been wandering this area and haven't seen anyone else." He shrugged and took a huge gulp of water.

"I'm not sure. I've just been wandering around for a while."

"We've been wandering too. 'Cept we started downtown." 

"I was near the river.” He said, stuffing another protein bar in his mouth. 

“Did you see any of those...things? They’re different from the others, I can’t really explain it.” Rochelle said, biting her thumbnail.  
“You mean those ones that spit shit and jump on your shoulders?” 

“You’ve seen them too?” He nodded and wiped his mouth.

“A whole bunch of those back humpers wiped out my...friends.” His hesitation on the last word made Rochelle cock her head but he turned away from the two of them. She shot a nervous glance at Ellis who shrugged and crossed his arms. 

Nick walked over to the extra cots and began setting one up for himself, kicking his shoes off. Ellis cleared his throat and the older man turned to look at him. 

“There a problem?” 

“I don’t think Ro’s real comfortable with you here.” Nick glared at the two of them and clenched his fists.

“Are you trying to throw me out?” He shook his head. Rochelle stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.

“We’re not trying to put you out. I just think maybe you should stay in here tonight and we’ll sleep in the back room.” She explained. He scoffed and peeled his suit jacket off.

“Whatever floats your boat, princess.” She rolled her eyes and grabbed her cot. Ellis grabbed his own and began pulling it towards the small back room.

Rochelle locked the door once they were both inside and flopped down on the cot, yawning loudly. Ellis flicked the light off and climbed into his own bed. She tapped her fingers on the wall next to her and sighed.

“That guy bothers me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was an escaped convict or something.” 

“I figure he’s probably just as scared as we are. Maybe even more.” 

“Why do you say that?”

“We’ve had each other pretty much since the beginning. He’s been alone.” She murmured to herself and pulled the thin blanket over her shoulders.

“Yeah, maybe.”


	4. Chapter 4

Bill looked out across the city skyline from the bank’s roof and sighed. Plumes of smoke were coming from almost every skyscraper in sight. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. Zombies groaned from the street below and stumbled around, barely visible in the fading light of day. He heard the familiar grumble from a boomer and he stepped away from the edge.

“Everything alright, Bill?” Louis asked. He nodded and walked over the three other survivors who were sitting around the small fire he’d made. Zoey was handing out small bowls filled with chili and she offered one to the old man. He sat down next to her and took the bowl. 

“Thanks, kid.” She smiled and handed one to Francis who eagerly grabbed it. 

“So what’s our plan for tomorrow?” Louis asked with a big smile. Bill stubbed out his cigarette and flicked it away. 

“Get the hell out of the state and keep moving towards Texas.” 

“We’re not going to get very far on foot.” Zoey piped up. 

“I hate walking.” Francis grumbled around a mouthful of food.

“Francis, you hate everything.” Zoey said with a laugh. 

They cleaned up their makeshift camp and slipped into their sleeping bags, Francis agreeing to take first watch. They’d been careful and safe so far under Bill’s leadership but still extremely cautious. Things had almost gone terribly when Bill had been tackled from behind by a hunter only two days before. Louis had knocked it off before it could do any serious damage but his jacket and shirt had been torn up by it’s sharp claws. The creature had disappeared as quickly as it had shown up and the four of them sprinted to the nearby safehouse. 

Ever since then, they’d been doing watch cycles to be extra safe. The trip to Texas was a long one that would be difficult but they all knew that’s where they’d be safest. It was a huge state filled with huge expanses of land they could hide out in. 

Francis wasn’t sure why he'd agreed to head to Texas with them but he knew it was the right decision. As much as he butted heads with Bill, the geezer knew what he was doing and he was a good leader. So he grumbled and griped but still continued heading towards Texas. 

The small radio that sat next to Louis' sleeping bag crackled and he snatched it up quickly. Zoey sat up and leaned over, looking over his shoulder at it. He twisted the frequency dial, hoping that the sound would clear as the four of them strained to listen to the scratchy audio.

"Name's…..friends call….Coach. I'm in…..heading towards Texas. Heard a….military might be…..rescue. If you….Rayford, Georgia…..bridge on…..street." The four of them looked at each other in surprise. 

"Rayford? How far is that?" Zoey asked, looking up at Bill.

"Don't ask me, kid. We're going to need a map." Louis grabbed his bag and opened it, digging through it to look for the map he’d grabbed just earlier that day. 

A small speck in eastern Georgia showed him Rayford. It was less than a thousand miles away but it was still a long walk that would take over a week. Bill grabbed the map and pulled a pen out of his pocket, plotting out their main route and possible alternate ones.

"First thing in the morning, we head out. Straight to Rayford." He folded the map up and handed it back to Louis. "Now everyone get some sleep."  
\------------------------------------

Ellis had a pair of pliers in between his teeth and two wires in his hands. He pulled the pliers out of his mouth and gently stripped away some of the plastic coating on the wires. He touched the two of them together and grinned when the radio crackled and slowly came back to life. He cheered and made sure to secure the wires before turning it around to tune it. 

"Come on! There's gotta be somethin'." He slowly changed channels, waiting for any sign of life. There was a silence on every one and he began to think that there really was nobody else left in the country besides the three of them. He sighed and slapped the side of the radio in frustration, it crackled and a tinny, muffled voice came through.

“I’m broadcasting from Rayford, Georgia! The military is gone and the city is overrun. I am not infected! I repeat, I am not infected!” He grumbled something and his radio crackled before he began speaking again. “I am low on supplies and ammo. I need help escaping the city.” Ellis grabbed a pen off the table and quickly wrote “Rayford” on his arm. “My name is.....friends call me Coach. Please help me. I don’t want to die here.” 

The broadcast ended suddenly and Ellis tried tuning the radio to pick the station back up. When he received nothing but dead air, he sighed loudly and turned it off.

“Did I just hear someone on the radio?” Nick’s sudden question made him jump in his seat.

“Christ in Heaven! Yew trying to kill me?!” The older man just stared at him with an eyebrow raised, giving no reaction to his outburst.

“Is that a yes or a no?” Ellis frowned and stood to rifle through his duffel bag.

“There’s a fella named Coach stuck down in Rayford and he needs our help.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you crazy? We can’t just run off to help every ham and egger who needs it. We’ve gotta focus on keeping ourselves alive.” Ellis scoffed and turned away. 

He pulled out the Georgia map he’d taken from a gas station just a few days before. He located Rayford quickly and circled it. It wasn’t far from Savannah, maybe a two hour drive. Ellis had been there once before in ‘97 for a class field trip through the historical river tour but he didn’t remember much. He charted out multiple possible routes while Nick paced and mumbled to himself.

“If yew don’t wanna help, fine. I’ll ask Ro. Yer clearly only worried about saving yer own hide, To hell with everyone else, right?” Ellis snapped at him which stopped Nick in his tracks. 

“I’ll help...but only because I don’t think you’d survive without me.” The younger man rolled his eyes but still smiled. 

“Help with what? What’s going on?” Rochelle entered the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“We’re going to Rayford in the morning. There’s a fella there who needs our help. Wanna come with?” She nodded and suppressed a yawn.

“Absolutely!” She said without hesitation. Ellis gave Nick a smug look and the older man waved him off.

“Oh fuck off. I already said yes.”  
\---------------------------------------

Bill looked out across the city, focusing on the plume of smoke coming from the residential district. He lowered his binoculars and handed them to Zoey. She held them up and zoomed in.

“Your eyes are better than mine, kid. You see anything?” She shook her head and handed them back.

“Absolutely nothing.” 

“Shit.” She nodded in agreement and walked over to Louis and Francis who were playing yet another card game. She thought it might be two person euchre which didn’t seem possible but she stopped trying to apply logic to their actions a few days after meeting them. 

The silence was suddenly interrupted by the roar of an engine. The four of them rushed to the opposite side of the bridge, peering over the edge at the road below. They spotted headlights turning onto the road, stopping just a few feet away from the several hundred foot drop into the river below. 

"That looks like a stock car." Zoey said, squinting through the light coming from the blue vehicle. She'd watched plenty of races with her dad growing to recognize one when she saw it. "I think that's Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car!" She said, excitedly.

"Who?" Louis questioned. She looked at the three men who all looked confused.

"Just a race car driver."

The drivers side opened suddenly and the lifted their guns slightly. A young man stepped out, not much older than Zoey, and removed his hat. He waved up at them, nervously and smiled.

"Howdy, folks! Does one you fellas happen to go by Coach?"


End file.
